The Contender Series by Robert Lipsyte

Before you can be a champion, you have to be a contender.Alfred Brooks is scared. He's a highschool dropout and his grocery store job is leading nowhere. His best friend is sinking further and further into drug addiction. Some street kids are after him for something he didn't even do. So Alfred begins going to Donatelli's Gym, a boxing club in Harlem that has trained champions... moreBefore you can be a champion, you have to be a contender.Alfred Brooks is scared. He's a highschool dropout and his grocery store job is leading nowhere. His best friend is sinking further and further into drug addiction. Some street kids are after him for something he didn't even do. So Alfred begins going to Donatelli's Gym, a boxing club in Harlem that has trained champions. There he learns it's the effort, not the win, that makes the man -- that last desperate struggle to get back on your feet when you thought you were down for the count. less

Sonny Bear, the tough, teen-aged hero of The Brave, and his mentor, police sergeant Alfred Brooks--hero of The Contender--return for the stunning conclusion to the award-winning novels. The Contender was an ALA Notable Children's Book of 1940-1970 and The Brave a 1992 ALA Best Book for Young Adults.